George Qingzhi Zhao
A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements 
for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

     Graduate Department of East Asian Studies

University of Toronto
©Copyright by George Qingzhi Zhao 2001

This dissertation is a study of the Mongolian royal marriages from the World Empire (1206-1279) to the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), focusing on the various aspects of the marriage strategies of the Mongol royal family and the political implications of these marriages. It also attempts to solve, by exploring the marriage partners of the Mongol royal family, the enigma of how and why an imperial marriage was arranged and determined, and to further reveal the relationship between the Mongol royal family and its marriage partners. 

This dissertation consists of eight chapters. Chapter One reviews the Mongolian marital tradition and probes the characteristics of the Mongolian royal marriages. Chapter Two discusses the Marriage Strategies and the political implication of the Mongolian royal marriages. Chapter Three analyzes the social position of Mongolian women and the political involvement of Mongolian empresses. Chapter Four to Chapter Eight describe the various marriage relationships between the Chinggisid clan and its marriage partners. The Onggirat tribe, the Ikires tribe, the Oirat tribe, the Korean royal family, the Öngüt tribe, and the Uighur Idug-qut’s Clan have been selected for examination.

Based on the exploration, description, and discussion in the proceeding chapters, the dissertation concludes that the Mongolian imperial marriages during the 13^th and 14^th centuries were politically and militarily significant. The great ambitions of the Chinggisid clan for a maximum geographical expansion of the Mongol empire necessitated marriage strategies for an effective control of the realm. The effect of the political marriages of the Mongol royal family was largely justified by its successive domination over the allied tribes and states during the early period of the Mongol empire. The halo once placed on the strategy of Mongol royal marriage faded along with the decline of the Mongol empire.
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract

Acknowledgements

Explanatory Notes

Introduction (1) 

1. A Comparison of Marriage Strategies between the Mongol Royal Family and Typical Chinese Dynasties (61)

2. Political Implications of the Mongolian Royal Marriages (65)

Chapter Three. Social Position of Mongolian Women and the Political Involvements of MongolianEmpresses (72)
1. The Social Position of Mongolian Women (72)
2. Political Involvement of Mongol Empresses (80)
(1). Empresses as Regents (82)
(2). Empresses’ Manipulation of the Election of a New Khan or Emperor (86)
(3). Empresses’ Involvement in State Affairs (88)
(4). Struggles between Empress Dowagers and Emperors (89)
(5). Characteristics of the Political Involvement of the Yuan Empresses (91)

Chapter Four. "Two-way" Marriages: Marriages Between the Mongolian Royal Family and Dei-sechan’s Clan of the Onggirat Tribe and the Ikires Tribe (98)
The Onggirat Tribe (98)

1. Historical Background (98)
2. Onggirat Men Married to Mongol Princesses (106)
3. Yuan Empresses from the Onggirat Tribe (112)
4. Discussion (122)

The Ikires Tribe (124)124)
1. Historical Background (124)
2. Marriages between Ikires Tribe and Chinggisid Clan (128)

Chapter Five. "Two-way Marriages": Marriages between The Mongolian Royal Family and the Oirat tribe (13)
1. Historical Background (133)
2. Mongol Princesses Married into the Oirat Tribe (136)
3. Oirat Women Married into the Chinggisid Clan (146)
4. Discussion (156)

Chapter Six. "One-way Marriage": Royal Marriages between the Mongol Yuan and Kory? (Korea) (161)
1. Husband-Wife Relationships and Their Impact on Yuan-Kory? Relations (162)
2. Mongol-Kory? Strife during the Thirteenth Century (168)
3. W?ngjong’s Marriage Proposal and Its Political Significance (173)
4. Mongol Princesses in the Kory? Court (182)
5. Political Involvement of Mongol Princesses in Korea (184)6. Conclusion (189)

Chapter Seven."One-way Marriages": The Imperial Marriages Between the Mongol Royal Family and the Öngüt Tribe (194)
1. Historical Background (194)
2. The Mystery of Alahai Beki (196)
3. The Other Öngüt Men Married to Mongol Princesses (201)
Chapter Eight. "One-way Marriages": The Imperial Marriages between the Mongol Royal Clan and the Uighur Idug-qut’s Clan (209)

Conclusion (220)
1. The Tradition of Mongolian Royal Marriage (220)
2. Cultural Aspects of the Mongolian Royal Marriage (230)
3. Political Aspects of Mongolian Royal Marriages (233)
TABLE 1 Age at Death of Married Mongol Princesses (78)
TABLE 2 Age at Death of Mongol Princesses in the Korean Court (79)
TABLE 3: The Empresses and Imperial Concubines of Mongol Yuan from the Onggirat tribe (117)
TABLE 4 The Princesses of the Yuan Court Married into the Onggirat Tribe (119)
TABLE 5 The Empresses of Yuan from the Ikires Tribe (130)
TABLE 6 The Princesses of the Yuan Court Married into Ikires Tribe (130)
TABLE 7 Oirat Women married into the Chinggisid clan (154)
Table 8Princesses of the Chinggisid clan Married into the Oirat tribe (154)
Table 9 Princesses of the Yuan Court Married into the Kory? Court (192)
TABLE 10 Princesses of the Yuan Court Married into the Öngüt Tribe (206)
TABLE 11 The Princely Concubines of the Yuan Imperial Family from the Öngüt Tribe (207)

TABLE 12 Princesses of the Yuan Court Married into the Uighur Idug-qut’s Clan (219)
Marriage List I. Mongol Royal FamilyàOnggirat Tribe (120)
Marriage List II. Onggirat TribeàMongol Royal Family (121)
Marriage List III. Mongol Royal FamilyàIkires Tribe (132)
Marriage List IV. Ikires TribeàMongol Royal Family (132)
Marriage List V Mongol Royal FamilyàOirat Tribe (155)
Marriage List VI Oirat Tribeà Mongol Royal Family (155)
Marriage List VIIKory? Royal FamilyàMongolRoyal Family (193)
Marriage List VIII. Öngüt TribeàMongol Royal Family (208)
Marriage List IX Mongol Royal Familyà Öngüt Tribe (208)
Marriage List X Uighur Idug-qut TribeàMongol Royal Family (218)
Bibliography (242)
Appendix I. Yuanshi Volumes 114, 116--Biographies of Empresses and Imperial Concubines (hou fei zhuan) (254)
Appendix II. Reign Periods of Mongol Khans and Yuan Emperors(278)
Appendix III. Glossary (281)

Appendix IV Genealogical Tables of the Mongol Royal Clan (293)